Our final port-of-call was Messina, Sicily.  Paul, a “Godfather” movie junkie, decided he’d do Holland America’s Godfather tour and persuaded me to join him.

Meanwhile, after reading about several different touring options, the kids took a cab to the seaside town of Taormina.  Though the cab ride wasn’t cheap, I was glad the kids didn’t drive the roads of Sicily.  The cab driver stayed and waited for them.  As it turned out, renting a car was more expensive. Taormina is known as a fashionable destination with great restaurants and magnificent views of two bays and Mt. Etna.  Luckily that day they were able to see it.  We, on the other hand, could only see a faint outline on our tour.  The kids had the best cannoli they had ever eaten and purchased red volcano liquor.

Road to Savoca

The “Godfather” tour was great.  So popular, there were three busloads.  The bus snaked its way up an extremely steep mountain road with numerous hairpin turns to where the “Coleone Family” aka Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Marlon Brando and Diane Keaton spent time.  The road is so narrow that many times the bus had to back up so another car could pass.

We couldn’t believe that the movie was filmed in the 1970s.  Even after all the time that had passed, rural Sicily is very much the same as when the “Godfather” was filmed. Our first stop was the Bar Vitelli

Paul sitting where Michael asked for Apollonia's hand in marriage

where Michael Corleone asked  Apollonia’s father for her hand.   Paul, like all the other Godfather die-hards, sat in front of the bar wearing  the beret and holding the sawed-off shotgun.  On the walls are photos and memorabilia from the film.

Afterwards, we climbed up the hill to Chiesa Santa Lucia, where the wedding scene was filmed. It was interesting walking the narrow streets and seeing this area where time seems to have stood still.  Onward to Forza d’Agro where the second and third films took place.  The final stop was Chiesa Santissima Trinita, where the wedding party was filmed.

As we headed back, we passed the beaches, and the tour guide gave us some insight to how the Mafia began.

Red Volcano. Drink at your own risk

Remember the red volcano liquor the kids bought?  Well one sip and we put it down – it could clean out your sinuses and grow hair on your chest all at once.  The kids poured it down the drain – so much for the red volcano.

The city of Oia

When you think of the Greek Isles, Santorini is what you envision.  It’s a place of brochure covers and picture postcards.  Bright white homes, small hotels and outdoor cafes hang on the edge of the steep cliffside that runs down to the blue Aegean.  White church domes and the much photographed blue dome of the Anastasis church dome complete the magnificent landscape.  If you’re lucky as we were you’ll see it set against a beautiful blue sky.

In Santorini, on the advice of friends, we didn’t arrange a tour.  Again, this is another place to get there early.  We were one of first on the tender and one of the first on the cable car.  When you get off the cable car there are lots of shops.  We walked away from this more crowded area and took a long stroll past many small hotels and peeked in to see their exquisite interiors.  Every spot is a Kodak moment.

The kids had done some research and thought we should take a boat excursion that went to the volcano and let you swim in a hot springs.  So down the cable car we went.  Which turned out to be a good thing.  Towards the end of the day lines at the cable car get quite long.

Matt on the All Terrain Vehicle

Fair warning, I’ve learned that the Greeks aren’t as worried about public safety as we are in America. There was no warning that the trek up the volcano was strenuous.  And there are no guardrails.  However, if you can’t make it all the way, you can stop and meet the group on the way back.  Thank goodness we are all in good shape, though Amanda and Matt were in flip-flops.  Not too good for walking on a lava field.  And getting back to the tour boat–it was the fifth boat behind the first docked boat–meaning we needed to step from one boat to the other, with no one there to help or guide us.

Next stop was the hot springs and another surprise.  We didn’t dock at all.  We stopped a couple of hundred yards off shore and had to jump overboard.  I couldn’t swim that distance so I stayed on board. It was fun and adventurous, but buyer beware.  Ask some questions if you are hesitant or have any limitations.

A picture from Santorini

Amanda and Matt decided to take the cable car back up and rented an All Terrain Vehicle and drove to Oia.  Back on the ship, they said that it was so much fun!  If I go back I’ll take a taxi to Oia.  Hopefully then the ship wouldn’t leave until after sunset.  Oia’s sunset is said to be one of the best in the world.

Library at Ephesus

Even before we started our cruise we had heard how incredible Ephesus is.  An ancient Greek city, later it was a major Roman city.   Knowing we would want to see everything and have a guide, we booked a tour online.  Our guide (Banu Akin banu@ottitravel.com) was excellent.  She had gone to college to be a tour guide and was an expert on archeology.  On the road to Ephesus, she ran down what we’d see.  For many visitors seeing the Virgin Mary’s House is must.  Being Jewish, we decided to nix it and instead add a visit to the Terrace Houses, a part of Ephesus actively being excavated.  (Making such changes is a big advantage of a private tour.)  The Terrace Houses are a perfect way to see how the inhabitants lived.  My advice, if you want to see Mary’s House do, but don’t miss the Terrace Houses.  It was a highlight of Ephesus.  I’m still talking about it.

What’s so amazing is how well they lived and how advanced they were.  Located on the hill, these homes were also called “the houses of the rich.”  Like developments of today there were a variety of homes, from smaller to massive.  The homes mostly two-storied, had open courtyard, clay pipes beneath the floors and behind walls for hot and cold water, and indoor plumbing.  Yes, no outhouses.  Some even had a sauna.  Back then it was important to have a large room for everyone to sit around and have discussions.  The homes were finely decorated with beautiful mosaics and frescoes.

Terrace Houses at Ephesus

In Ephesus, you can imagine a once bustling city, the Agora filled with merchants and people shopping.  There were fountains and temples, beautiful streets (Marble Sacred Street), the Great Theater and the Library of Celsus.  The Library’s façade has been reconstructed from all original pieces. Ephesus had public toilets, baths, a small clinic and a brothel.  The funny thing is that on the way to the brothel is a foot print pointing its direction.  If your foot was smaller than the foot on the ground, it meant you were too young to go.

Lunch was at a Turkish restaurant, too small for tour buses.  It was fun tasting the Turkish fare.  There was eggplant, Kota (meatballs), humus, beans and onions, lamb and watermelon for dessert.  Attached to the restaurant there was a small place where women and men were making carpets.  And of course, we were lead into a place where you buy one.  After seeing many, we did buy a small one that we could carry on the plane.   Though we couldn’t help but wonder did we really get a good price.

When asked if we wanted to visit a museum, there was a resounding no.  After Athens we passed on it.  Instead we opted to go to a pottery factory and a leather factory.  Neither was really a must see.  Though at the leather factory they put on a fashion show and for a few minutes we felt like we were in Milan.  After the rug, there were no more purchases.

Our guide dropped us back a little earlier.  And what was really nice was she gave a small refund since the tour was somewhat shorter than we had planned on.  Before getting back on the ship we walked through the streets.  Was almost surprised they didn’t have a hook to pull you in.  Once they saw the little black bag containing the rug, they said “now that you have the rug, you need something for yourself – a diamond ring, a bracelet, a scarf, leather goods, and on and on.”  After a few blocks of that we were happy to back on the Noordam.

The crowds at the Acropolis were a bit overwhelming, especially in 95 degree weather. Our guide got our tickets and tried to get us in quickly by bypassing the lines, but she couldn’t. (There are times she can, but this wasn’t one of them.) The line went quickly, but didn’t exactly seem that orderly. There are LOTS of steps. And one thing that struck us was that other countries don’t seem to worry about safety like we do. Guess they aren’t sued as much as in the United States.

At the Acropolis you are literally on top of the city. It’s hard to believe that they could have built the Parthenon without any of the equipment we have today. The Greeks are busy restoring parts of it and it’s easy to see the new pieces that have been put in.

Our guide gave us the history of Athena and Poseidon and their contest over who would be the Patron of the city. Athena was the victor. Besides describing everything and getting us around the crowded area, she pointed out the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the modern Olympic stadium. Another benefit, she told us where the best places were to take photos.

Before we went on the cruise we got out the history of Greece on CD. While it provided a lot more information than I needed, the 10 percent I retained did give me a general idea of Greece’s place in the history of the Mediterranean and its relation to the Roman Empire. Oh, and it’s a good idea to brush up on some of the Greek Gods you learned about in school. Many of our words came from the Greeks – Agoraphobia, metropolis and marathon to name a few. Of course, the name that we related most to was Nike.

The Acropolis Museum, opened in 2009, is an archaeological museum built to display the findings of the Acropolis of Athens and is located by the southeastern slope of the Acropolis hill. However, some people on our cruise were disappointed.

They had been to the British Museum where more of the Greek artifacts are housed. The Greek’s are trying to get the pieces back but so far to no avail.

One of the highlights of Athens was the food. On our travels our guide took us to place near the Acropolis that had restaurants and cafes. On a busy schedule the kids opted for carry-out. They had souvlaki (gyro) followed by gelato and Greek yogurt with toppings. They said the souvlaki was “the best they ever had.”

If you have time in Athens you might want to take its subway. We didn’t, but our guide took us down to see the archeological displays including pieces from ancient Greece. Hard to believe such pieces were in the subway. I can’t imagine having them in NY or DC subways.

Then it was on to the Parliament. We got there just in time to see the changing of the Guards. Their foot action is amazing – lots of kicking and those shoes with the pom-poms are something to look at.

The Olympics were born in ancient Greece. The day before, when the Holland America Noordam stopped at Katakolon, Greece we visited the ruins of the first place (776BC) where the Olympics took place. For that outing we rented a car and did touring on our own. Seeing this ancient spot was incredible. While it is only ruins it’s easy to see how advanced they were and the sports they competed in.

At the Olympic Stadium in Athens we learned that the eternal flame was introduced in 1936. The flame is brought from Olympia to Athens where it travels then to the host city. We all found this interesting since we always watch the Olympics. We also learned that the marathon in Athens actually starts in the town of Marathon and ends in the Olympic Stadium.

Athens is a very busy crowded city. After a long day we headed back to the Noordam for relaxation and dinner. Dinner that night included many Greek specialties.

While everyone had said that you could easily make arrangements once you arrived in Dubrovnik, as the Noordam docked, I had a moment of panic.  Though the kids were pretty sure they wanted to go kayaking, we didn’t make prior arrangements, wanting to see if the water was calm.  Luckily, everyone was right.  When the bus (which Holland America provided for a fee) left us off at the walled city, we easily found someone with information on kayaking.  After making sure the company was certified, the kids signed up.  For a second, we considered joining them.

The kids headed down to the water and we headed to the cable car.  Opened a year ago, it’s a fabulous way to see this beautiful walled city perched above the sea.  The view – with terra cotta roofs and the sea dotted with cruise ships, kayaks and sailboats—makes it easy to see why this beautiful coastline was always a sought after prize by so many countries.  If you happen to be hungry, there’s a restaurant at the top where you can continue taking in the magnificent view.   A little tip – use the bathroom, it’s free.  Down below by the walled city, you’ll have to pay a Euro.  Back down and wanting to ret a bit and be in air-conditioning we opted for an introductory movie about Dubrovnik.  We both felt it wasn’t worth it.  The kids also walked the wall (we had done it on prior trip to Dubrovnik).  It’s hard to believe that this ancient wall still remains and that people are still living in the homes.  You can also see some of the damage from the last war.

Glad we didn’t go kayaking.  The kids said that it was fun but tiring and that was from a group of buff twenty year olds. (Besides kayaking they did get a history of Dubrovnik and went swimming.)

Flaming Alaska

We welcomed our first day at sea.  It was time to explore the ship.  Our verandah staterooms were on the seventh deck.  With the pool, fitness center, spa and buffet on deck nine it was perfect, letting us take the stairs instead of the elevators to where most of the action takes place.

During the ten day trip we never ate breakfast or lunch in the dining room.  The buffet breakfast (French toast, omelets and eggs to order, cereals, muffins, fruit, yogurt and on and on) was great, as was the buffet lunch (Chinese, pizza, hamburgers, wraps, Panini, ice cream and a slew of delicious desserts).  Besides having disinfectant all over the ship, Holland America, to further safeguard against a Norovirus outbreak, doesn’t allow self-service at the buffet or even at the coffee bar, for 48 hours.  Since no one got sick, it seemed to work.

Hot temperatures, amazing blue skies and azure seas, had us and our fellow cruisers heading to one of the two pools.  Our kids lounged in the sun by the adult pool.  We found lounges in the shade.  Although there were 2,000 people onboard, we had no trouble finding lounges.

Knowing that spa appointments fill up quickly, especially on days at sea, we made an appointment for a couples’ massage, (a gift from the kids) as soon as we got on the ship.  The massage was fabulous.  Though we were disappointed that having a spa treatment didn’t include use of the spa for the full treatment day.

Formal night has changed a lot.  We saw only about 10% of the men wearing tuxes, a big change from ten years ago.  Scott and Matt wore suits, my husband wore a sports jacket.  We loved that the dress is more relaxed.  I don’t need to schlepp and wear a formal gown, though if you want you can.

We chose “open seating” and were pleasantly surprised that we didn’t have too much trouble getting seats. If you come at least 15 minutes before one of the set times, there should be no problem.

The ship lets you bring your own wine in the dining room but charges you a corking fee.  We avoided it by having wine from one of the ports-of-call in our room before going to dinner.  The kids did take advantage of the happy-hour drink specials buy the second for a $1.

I am happy to report that the food was very good with plenty of choices.  It was well prepared and did not at all remind you of large banquet food.  Since the five of us usually sat at a table for six, Matt and Scott created an imaginary sixth, “Fred.”  Fred was inclined to order a full meal that Matt and Scott gladly split, in addition to their regular orders.  There were authentic Greek, Italian and Turkish dishes as well as even surf and turf.  One night we ate at the specialty restaurant, Pinnacle Grill.  The service and food were well worth the $20 a person fee.  Thank goodness midnight buffets have disappeared.  However, on one night there was a “Dessert Extravaganza” – so many treats it was held in the atrium and on four floors.  We tried a few luscious ones.  And it was certainly a photo op.

While there were activities going on during the day, the art of towel folding, art of flower arranging, bridge, dancing and more, Paul was the only one that partook.  He attended a couple of digital workshop providing tips and techniques for Windows 7, digital photography and videography.  They were provided free, and professionally run, being underwritten by Microsoft and were worth the one hour time investment if you are new to Windows 7 and Windows Live. Amanda, our competitive one, would have liked a few more games around the pool.

Day One – Rome

With just a few hours in Rome we wanted to pack in as much as possible.  Rudy, our tour/driver, arrived at our hotel at 7:30 am.  Starting early is the way to beat the crowds.  Top sites included the Pantheon, Coliseum, Forum, Vatican square, Jewish Quarter, Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, Roman baths, aqueducts and yes, 65 Gelato places.  (We enjoyed a large scoop at Bar Gelateria adjacent to the Trevi Fountain.) And it wasn’t just the sites, we got a history lesson — the ancient aqueducts are still used today, (you can drink the water from any of the aqueduct fed fountains) the Roman baths were heated and the Coliseum was once covered in marble.  We learned that the Romans conquered the Greeks, but Greek culture conquered the Roman culture, politics and architecture.  For sure Rome never had any zoning laws–the beautiful and massive Trevi Fountain is closely flanked by apartments and shops and the Pantheon is in the middle of a regular neighborhood.  And as we travelled the narrow Roman streets we were forever seeing ruins.  In the beginning some seemed like an eyesore, but in Rome it’s ancient history and we soon learned to appreciate the unbelievable past.

And we needed to take a slight detour.  Matt’s luggage never made it to Rome.  So with Rudy’s help, Amanda, Scott and Matt hit some shops.  Rudy pointed them to a street with the best prices.  (Sad to say, his dollars still didn’t go very far.)  Still needing some necessities, Rudy knew of a cheap, Chinese owned shop at the port.  Fifteen minutes later we boarded the ship.

Thank goodness great customer service isn’t dead. Upon hearing about Matt’s luggage’s fate, Holland America, (who was not at all responsible) offered to do his wash for free for the whole cruise, give him a free tux rental, a toiletry kit and made several calls to Alitalia (unfortunately to no avail, but that’s another story).  On the topic of customer service, we were aboard ship when hurricane Irene hit the east coast.  The ship allowed many people to call home for free to check on their families.  Thanks Holland America!

We just returned from a 10 day Mediterranean cruise aboard Holland America’s Noordam with our adult children Scott (28) and Amanda (26) and her significant other Matt (26).

I’m happy to report it was perfect.  A cruise is the way for a family to travel.

With five people, it was absolutely essential to do some excursion planning well before we set sail or end up spending more money than necessary.

After checking several websites, we found Trip Advisor to be the most helpful and used it to find our driver/guides.  We picked the top two or three rated in the major cities, read the reviews, then communicated via email to obtain rates and discuss options.  All returned our emails within about eight hours and the ones we ultimately chose were excellent.  (More details to follow in future posts.)

By using a private driver/guide, rather than the ship’s tours we saved a lot of money and got to customize the tour.  In many cities, there are two ways to go.  Take a driver who can tell you about the sites, but can’t go into the attractions.  Or hire a driver and a licensed guide.  While more expensive, the guides, who have to go to “guide school” for up to four years, added so much insight and pointed out things we would have missed if left on our own.  It’s important to verify, prior to booking if you are hiring a driver or a licensed guide who can go on site.

A writer for over 20 years, Alice Rindler Shapin has been published in Costco Connection, Washingtonian Magazine, Baltimore Magazine, The New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, Family Circle, Parents, Child, Family Fun, Endless Vacation, Westchester magazine, Hudson Valley Magazine, Links and Washington Golf Styles.

She is a member of SATW. Her family, husband Paul, son Scott and daughter Amanda, golf and travel have been the catalyst for many of her features.